888poker's Jesse Sylvia Hunting WSOP Main Event Final Table

26-year-old poker pro Jesse Sylvia makes his living playing live cash games here in Las Vegas but right now he's got a shot at $8.5 million at the 2012 WSOP Main Event. PokerListings.com learns Sylvia's backstory in this WSOP video interview.

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Set-mining is a powerful poker strategy move that you learn in just three minutes. It's great for beginner and intermediate players because it takes a lot of the guesswork out of playing low and medium pocket pairs. Set-mining refers to calling a raise with a pocket pair, with the main intention of trying to flop three of a kind. A set is another name for three of a kind and when you flop one, it's an opportunity to get paid big. The idea is, if your opponent raised with a big hand like pocket aces, it's going to be really tough for them to fold on a board that looks so safe. Set-mining is great for beginner and intermediate players because it makes your decisions on the flop really simple: If you don't flop a set you can shut down, if you do, try to get paid. When you get more experienced you'll realize that just because someone raises, it doesn't mean they always have a premium hand. And when you start calling with pocket pairs in position you'll learn that you don't always need to flop a set to win the pot.
Sometimes your opponent will have raised with two big cards and will miss the flop completely. When you're in position with a pocket pair you can make your opponent fold overcards by betting, or get to the river and showdown the best hand.

In this short video we show you exactly how to sign up and play online poker at William Hill Poker. We guarantee you the best signup bonus available anywhere, and special promotions and tournaments that are only open to PokerListings players. First, head to PokerListings.com and click on the William Hill Poker review. You can check out the latest promotions, screenshots of the software and lots of other info to make sure William Hill Poker is the right poker room for you. Next, download the software and install it on your computer. If you're playing for the first time, you'll have to register an account by entering your personal information. William Hill Poker accepts major credit cards and plenty of other trusted online payment processors. When you sign up through the link on PokerListings.com and make your first deposit you'll get the best signup bonus available anywhere, and you'll also get special deals and promotions that are only open to PokerListings players. William Hill Poker has cash games, tournaments and sit and gos and offers games in tons of different forms of poker.
The software is sharp and fast and the customer service has one of the best reputations in the industry for being reliable and friendly. And because William Hill Poker is part of one of the oldest online sports betting sites in the UK so the poker games are some of the loosest anywhere on the internet. Visit PokerListings.com and start your poker journey on William Hill Poker today.

The cold four-bet is a powerful bluffing move that can win you pots, regardless of what your cards are.
In this intermediate poker strategy video we break down exactly how to cold four-bet bluff, and we do it in less than three minutes.
At its most basic a cold four-bet refers to putting in a re-re-raise before the flop as your first action in a hand. So for example, if one player raises, another player three-bets and you come in with another raise, that's a cold four-bet.
Cold four-betting as a bluff isn't a beginner move and there are a few things you need to look out for to make sure you're not spewing money.
First, look for players who are open-raising a lot because chances are, they don't have a premium hand every time. It's more dangerous to cold four-bet bluff against a tight player because they're more likely to have a monster hand that they won't fold.
Second, make sure the other players at the table respect your raises. If you've been bluffing a lot, or just picking up a ton of big hands and doing a lot of raising, your opponents will be more suspicious of your four-bet and therefore more likely to call.
It's also better to four-bet bluff when you have position on your opponents because they'll be less inclined to call and have to play the rest of the hand out of position.
Watch the fourth episode of Poker Power Moves to learn an effective new bluffing technique you can add to your poker game today.

What if you had a chance to win the biggest pot of your life, but you had to risk your entire bankroll to do it? Canadian cash-game pro Gillian Epp looks back on the defining moment of her career, a massive $150,000 pot at a $10/$20 No-Limit game at Bellagio in 2009. Epp is the latest player featured in PokerListings.com's ongoing video series Best Poker Moments, along with Brad Booth and Annette Obrestad. Epp tells the story of withdrawing her entire bankroll from the casino cage, in cash, and putting it on the table against a wealthy amateur who had her covered. It wasn't long before she had a shot at doubling up, but actually making the call and putting everything on the line was harder than she expected. Watch the video for the full story and keep an eye out for more Best Poker Moments coming soon.

There are situations in poker where the right move at the right time can make all the difference to your bottom line. Today we break down one of the best poker strategy moves: the Squeeze Play. A squeeze play is a bluff that you can use to pick up chips, even when you can't pick up a good hand. When a loose/aggressive player raises, and one more players just call behind him, it sets up a spot where you can re-raise and win the pot regardless of what your cards are. Squeeze plays work best in tournaments when the blinds and antes make the pot big enough to go after, but it is also a very effective cash-game strategy when used correctly. There are a few things you need to keep an eye out for when you're looking for spots to squeeze. The first is a loose and aggressive player opening the pot. Just because an aggressive player raised doesn't mean they have a big hand and a lot of the time they won't have a good enough hand to stand up to your re-raise. The second thing is one or more players just calling. Chances are if they had a premium hand they would raise. By calling they're telling you they have a marginal hand that can't call a big re-raise. The third thing to think about is your position. It's always better to bluff when you have position on your opponents because they'll be less inclined to call before the flop and if they do call, they'll have to play out of position for the rest of the hand. The last thing you need to remember is to make your re-raise big enough to push your opponents out of the hand. Usually about 25 big blinds total will do the job. Bluffs like the squeeze play are intermediate moves so make sure you have a solid understanding of poker fundamentals before you start getting creative with moves like this.

The second entry in our beginner poker strategy series Poker Power Moves is the light three-bet, an effective way to pick up chips in cash games and tournaments even when you can't pick up a hand. Light three-betting is when you think a player is raising before the flop with a weak hand, and you re-raise him with a hand you'd normally fold.
To three bet light successfully you have to remember these three things:
#1: Look for players who are playing too loose and aggressive and opening lots of pots. It's even more likely that they're weak if they're raising when it's folding to them in late position.
#2: Three-betting light from the blinds is a common play but it's even better to do it when you have position on your opponent since you'll keep that position for the rest of the hand if he calls.
#3: Don't three-bet light with easily dominated hands like weak aces because you'll get stuck in tricky spots after the flop if they call. Instead, three-bet light with sneakier hands like suited connectors.
Three-betting light is so effective because you're exploiting a common mistake, playing too loose and aggressive before the flop. A lot of intermediate players automatically raise when it folds to them in late position, but they don't know what to do when they get re-raised. This move is especially important in tournaments when the blinds and antes are getting big. Players will be going after the dead money and they'll be opening too many pots with weak hands. By three-betting light in the right spots, you can chip up without having to pick up a big hand. Visit PokerListings.com, the all-in poker guide.

Signing up to play online poker through PokerListings.com is fast, simple and secure and if you're looking for lots of action and a top-quality poker experience, 888poker is a great choice.
This video will guide you through downloading the software, signing up for an account and depositing funds. The entire process is quick and easy, and you'll be up and running before you know it.
First, head to PokerListings.com and click on the 888poker review. You can check out the latest promotions, screenshots of the software and tons more information to make sure 888poker is the right poker room for you.
Next, download the software and install it on your local machine. The client works for both Mac and PC.
If you're playing for the first time, you'll have to register an account by entering your personal information.
Don't worry, 888poker is the online poker part of one of the biggest online casinos in the world which means they have tons of experience processing payments and keeping their customer's sensitive information safe.
888poker accepts major credit cards and lots of other trusted online payment processors.
When you sign up through the link on PokerListings.com and make your first deposit you'll get the best signup bonus available anywhere, guaranteed, and you'll also get to play in tons of freerolls and special tournaments that are only open to PokerListings players.
888poker has a huge selection of cash games, tournaments and sit and gos and the software is fast, reliable and customizable.
And 888poker is always working hard to bring fun and exciting new features to their games.
888Poker also offers tons of satellites and qualifiers so you can win your way to live events like the World Series of Poker main event.
Visit PokerListings and start your poker journey on 888poker.com.

Every serious poker player has an arsenal of special poker moves they use to beat their opponents. Today we'll show you one of the best moves: the triple-barrel bluff. It's called a three-barrel bluff because you fire three bets to force your opponent to fold, one on the flop, one on the turn, and one on the river. To triple-barrel bluff successfully you need to remember these three things.
#1: Tell a believable story. If you raised preflop, for example, your opponents will tend to put you on big cards so bluff more on boards that match up with what your opponent thinks you have.
#2: Pay attention to the cards that come on the turn and river when deciding whether to keep bluffing. Overcards and cards that complete draws are great to bluff at if you put your opponent on a hand like top pair.
#3: Never try this move on a calling station. If your opponent can't make a fold it's not going to matter how believable your bluff is. Triple-barreling is so effective because a lot of players will call one bet with marginal hands, but they won't be able to make the tough calls on the turn and river when the bets are getting big.
So if you often find yourself making a continuation bet, then shutting down, and losing to a marginal hand at showdown, you should consider firing the second and third bullets if the conditions are right.
As your reads get better you'll start to get a feeling for when your opponent isn't confident about the strength of his hand. That's the time to ramp up the aggression and consider a Triple-Barrel Bluff.

At the 2014 Battle of Malta, PokerListings honored three very special poker players with the Spirit of Poker Awards. Dominik Panka, Thor Hansen and Shannon Shorr took the second-ever SOPA awards in the categories of Rising Star, Living Legend and Most Inspiring Player, respectively. Both Panka and Hansen were in Malta to receive the award but Shorr was unable to attend and sent in a video acceptance speech. Each player beat out a tough lineup of poker pro's and received more votes in order to win. Check out the video and watch Battle of Malta host Maria Ho present the awards, plus a few words from each of our winners.

Our final tip in this series is to make friends with poker players that are better than you and discuss hands with them whenever you get the chance.
We've interviewed thousands of professional poker players and when we ask them how they got better, this is the number one answer.
If you're already part of a group of poker friends chances are you're already talking strategy, but if none of your friends are into it, it'll pay off to branch out a bit and make friends with some good poker players.
And the good thing is, it doesn't even have to be in real life. There's a ton of strategy discussion on poker forums like two plus two, and you can take it one step further by joining a skype group with people who play the same stakes and games as you.
Advice That's Right for You
Books are a great resource for learning strong fundamentals and lots of of hard data but you can't always find out how to fix the mistakes YOU'RE making.
When you're talking strategy with a good player you can address the exact spots that are giving you the most trouble. Usually a better player will have already encountered them and can give you great advice based on their experience.
The advice will be even more useful if you're talking to someone who's already beat the games and stakes you're playing.
Staking Deals and Support
It's pretty common in poker for good players to invest time in teaching their friends, and even go on to stake them in tournaments or cash games.
If your goal is to become a more serious poker player getting a staking deal and a poker mentor is one of the best things you can do.
And if you want to make a living playing poker, it's really valuable to have a support network to get you through tough times and motivate you to keep working hard and playing your best.
If everything goes according to plan, sometime down the road you'll be one giving a new player the benefit of your experience.

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